Can Chickens Eat Alfalfa Hay?

[cyanne]

Quote:
The stuff I have isn't the same as most hay...coastal hay for example is long strands of dried grass, so if they eat it it can wad up inside their crop and leave them crop bound. The alfalfa I have is more like a dried clover consistency. There are some stems, but the chickens ignore those and just eat the little dried leaves.

I'm not sure those could cause them to get crop bound even if they did eat a whole bunch...then again, I've never met an animal that couldn't find SOME way to hurt itself and cause you a heart attack/drain your wallet on vet bills no matter how careful you are with them.

 

[nelgkel]

I looked at all the ingredients in rabbit pellets...yes, it has alfalfa, but lots of other stuff too that I did not want to feed my chickens...
so,, I buy alfalfa hay for them about once a month and spread the entire thing in the run...it lasts almost 3 weeks..
I also buy horse alfalfa pellets! they are awesome! all alfalfa...put them in a deep dish with lots of water covering them and allow them to sit for about 1/2 hour to expand and soften then put in the run for the chickens.. they love it...this is what I use instead of the alfalfa block...
nice color to the yolk and it is good for their health...win win situation..

 

[dsqard]

I would think that soaked alfalfa pellets (usually very inexpensive at a feed store) would be great for them. I do feed mine the leaves from the alfalfa I get in bales for my horses. The chickens pretty much just ignore any stems that get mixed in because they are just really stiff and wouldn't be easy to eat. Mr. Green Jeans (I remember him from Captain Kangaroo too

Yup aging myself here

) I don't think that chaffhaye would be good for chickens. It does smell fermented (I tried it once for my horses and they just turned their noses up at it). Not sure if that is good for chickens.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

During the winter and drought times when there is no fresh green feed available I feed alfalfa pellets. Works well for keeping the yolk color up and it doesn't take all that much to do it.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I have been feeding our girls alfalfa pellets from TSC; make a mash each morning with some of their Flock Raiser and the pellets--soak in hot water, add buttermilk, cook blackeyed peas or pinto beans and whatever else in the frig needs to be gone and occasionally add oatmeal. They love the warm breakfast and slurp it up...yolks are a great color...hoping it is adding omega3 to the eggs!

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
I'm not going to free choice them on hay, but I am going to give them small handfuls at a time while grass is not available to them. my son brought home a couple of bails of hay that is a pretty good grass alfalfa mix and the chickens are wild over it!

 

[black star homesteader]

My father raised chicks in OH; and the farm wisdom of the day suggested that alfalfa had a mite/lice inhibiting quality. Anyone else hear of this? THey always fed alfalfa to the chickens in the winter and didn't have problems; especially during those times they're stuck in the coop for several days due to bad weather.

 

[pixie74943]

my chickens have an entire feeder devoted to lucerne chaff (aka, finely cut alfalfa). its made out of a 2litre milk bottle, takes them (all 6) three or four days to finish it. If I get lazy and dont refill it for a couple of days, they dive on it when I finally do refill it. They never eat the thicker stalks though, just the small green leaves. The stalks end up on the ground, and help keep the smell down a little.

Win Win, although you can tell when they've pigged out on the lucerne, what comes out the other end is not pretty

 

[Want Less]

So glad to find this post... I was wondering this same thing! Yay, BYC to the rescue once again

 

[HenThymes]

All of my bantams eat alfalfa, baled alfalfa that is. I take a handful and shake it around knocking off allot of the leaves. They seem to love it! There are some stems but they seem to leave them laying and just pick off the little leaves. Knock on wood

I have never had any problems from feeding it. I know for horses when eating alfalfa it is known for creating heat for them, hence we don't feed allot of it in the summer months. Not sure it would give the same affect on chickens??